thekiterider2000 wrote:CROSSBOW BAR PRESSURE FIX
JJ Atkinson drew my attention to this development. I am posting my reply to him, because it relates to this issue:
Hi JJ,
Hadn't seen this, but it doesn't surprise me. I think the most obvious area for bow-kite improvement is in bridle geometry. I expect that the next generation Crossbow will be a leap forward, and I hope Cabrinha offers a retro-kit to upgrade the current kites.
In principle, fixed bridles (no pulleys) compromise the bows sheeting advantage because they effectively put the tow points down below the kite, not that different from the low tow points of C-kites. It makes sense that a series of pulleys would solve this. I'd also like to see really high pressure leading edges (tougher material) to make a more rigid structure that wouldn't need as much bridling, if any, because this would be an elegant way to clean up this problem.
I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but I think I may have a solution to the inversion problem, too. From a main bridle junction on each side of the kite, you could run a fairly slack line to the trailing end of a strut on each side of the kite. The length of these lines should be such that they become taught just before the kite reaches zero aoa (luffing head to wind), so the kite wouldn't be prone to inverting (airborne or on the water).
Regarding powerlock, the more I think about it the more I hate to compromise the deadman depower effect of bowkites, because it is one of the greatest safety advances in kiteboarding, which is an otherwise statistically very dangerous sport (too dangerous, really). I actually don't mind the pressure so much because I use kiting as an intense physical workout, (like maximizing resistance in the gym).
HOWEVER, my biggest issue with the lack of powerlock relates to one-handed riding and jumping, which I find really difficult on the Crossbow. So, I am starting to come around to accepting a concept that I have historically shied away from, and that is a lever, sort of like a motorcycle brake, on each side of the bar. As long as you squeeze it against the bar, even on one side only, you'd be locked in, but if you release it a bit or let go, you could sheet out.
The obvious downside of this arrangement is moving parts, but with a clean design it might not be much of a problem. It would be so simple. Each bar could have a single pivot, and an L-shaped end that sticks into the hole in the bar. When you tighten, the L'shaped end would bind against the line through the bar.
Maybe I'll post this to the forum, too.
Cheers,
James